Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-07-21

milton was turned against Custer and his
men, and no doubt had much to do in de-
Gliding the fortunes of the day.
From all that can be gathered by ques-
tionlng Curley, the Crow scout, and the
only living survivor of those who marched
with Custer, and also from the narrative
of Gall, who has since visited the spot
and told the story of the day on the
ground where ne made it, it appears that
there were between 5000 and 1000 In
dams Ia the village at the time Custer
descended upon it, and that the attack
was not so much of surprise to the red
men as has generally been supposed.
Gall says that he saw the soldiers early in
the morning crossing the divide, and
noted carefully that the white men divid
ed themselves into three divisions. When
Clusters command swept off to the rig hit
they lost sight of that force temporarily,
keeping their eyes on Reno, who came
directly down to the river seeking ford
to cross over and fight. Reno did cross
over, paused minute to rest and tighten
girths, remounted all his men, aud rode up
alongside of some ash timber mile and
a half, when he suddenly came in sight
OF the village. When the soldiers saw all
these Indians the bugles sounded
"Chargeio the soldiers came rushing like
the wind upon their women and children
and killed many of them, but the braves
rallied in great force, turned on the
troopers, and chased them back to the
river, into which everybody tumbled
and scrambled up to the top of steep
hill opposit. When they had Reno on the
hill, the bucks in great numbers tried to
drive him off; but, not succeeding. the
women, old men, and some bucks were
left to guard them while the others re-
crossed the stream and hurried down 10
the other end of the village, where the cry
had been raised that more soldiers were
coming. Of course, this was Clusters
outfit, and we have no tale Of that terrible
affair except what the Indians tell US.
From all that can be gathered it seems
that Custer must have come down as far
as the river with his troopers, although
Gall says he never got within half mile
of the stream; but the footprints Of the
cavalry horses led in broad and well
defined trail clear down to the river, not
outstanding Calls statement to the con-
trary. Gall went with me, placed his foot
on certain spot, fully one-half mile
from the river, and said fatty and posit-
lively that the white soldiers got no near
! or ..ihe river than that point, and were
there first met by his braves and fought
back step by step to the ridge, where all
finally persisted. When asked how these
footprints came on the bank the chief
| ex planned that they were made by white
soldiers Old horse back, who had attempted
to escape from the field by going down
ravine and then crossing the river.
These were met by some bucks on the
other side, who turned them up stream
again, and after racing parallel TO the
village for nearly three quarters of a
mile, were finally crowded into the water,
and they recrossed the river once more.
They came out just where all the cavalry
| tracks appeared, and after running half
a mile further were finally caught and
| knocked on the head with stone clubs.
| This chief, who was undoubtedly
the leader of the red forces on
that day, further says that only forty
three Indians were killed in all, althoug h
great many afterwards "fel over
and died" This phrase, [ think, refers
| to the wounded who died of their in uries
| This seems a very small percentage of
casualties among the red men when it is
considered that 204 white bodies were
found on the field, although 240 men
yielded up their lives on Clusters field,
not counting the killed and wounded of
Reno's and Benteen's commands. His
tory has been corrected somewhat since
that dark and bloody page was recorded,
and not the least important is that the
Indians outnumbered fully five to one
all the white men in the country, includ-
ing the different commands of Custer,
Benteen, Reno, as we'll as Gen. Terry IS
and Gen. Gibbons commands, then at
the forks of the two Horn Rivers, on the
way up to effect a junction with the
Seventh Cavalry. Had they only known
it, the savages could have swept every
thing before them, as they were in su-
perior force, armed with magazine rifles,
and fighting for their lives, although as
rule, our North American aborigines
have a wholesome dread OF artillery, of
which Gen. Terry had one or two pieces
along.
Another correction should be made in
the case of Gen. Custer himself. He did
not wear long, golden hair, as has been
generally supposed, but had it clipped
short before he left his post to take the
field. He was also scalped, like all the
rest; but he being slightly bald on the
crown of his head scalp-lock was cut
from further back. The brave man died
game, SO every redskin admits, and set
an example for courage and bravery
which was followed by every soldier in his
battalion. Many of the white men were
sadly multilated.
After all had been slain the bucks gal
Hoped around over the field, popping bull
lets and arrows into the corpses, while
the blood thirsty squaws completed an
already too horrible picture by pounding
the heads of the poor fellows with their
stone clubs. 1t was sad and mournful
day for the surviving moiety of the gal
liant Seventh Cavalry to perform the last
rite of their slain comrades, but they
! did it with tenderness and care, covering
each where he fell with mound of earth
, and erecting at his head a stake aud pile
, of stones to mark the spot when the ele
ments should have washed away the earth
The Custer battlefield is to day one vast
cemetery, neglected and almost forgotten
except by the few who have relatives an
friends sleeping among those barrenrocks
in this far-away, uninhabited country
The little stakes and mounds give a DESC
late look to the field. and che monument